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So I'm considering some modelling, and the R2 1/350 Enterprise allows for lighting the nacelle trenches. Not really something I'm crazy to do, but I've read a bunch of people say that was the original intention of Gene and Matt. Some even say they wanted it blue, which to me sounds like B&B era revisionism. Is there any source to this? I can't seem to find it if there is.

So I'm considering some modelling, and the R2 1/350 Enterprise allows for lighting the nacelle trenches. Not really something I'm crazy to do, but I've read a bunch of people say that was the original intention of Gene and Matt. Some even say they wanted it blue, which to me sounds like B&B era revisionism. Is there any source to this? I can't seem to find it if there is.

A fair number of modermakers in Fan Art forum, and one of the best places to get info on the models is The RFP (Replica Prop Forum), but they only open registration for new members periodically.

My guess is there was never any intent to light the inboard grilles of the model's nacelles, especially since only one nacelle actually had the trench at all. The nacelles are hollow from just aft of the pylons to the end caps, so if they'd wanted lights in there they could've done so.

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"There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.
—Will Rogers

Also, the inboard nacelles being lit is an idea that originated on the refit for TMP, when Richard Taylor was the VFX art director for Abel. They'd only be on when the ship was at warp, and a rather elaborate dimensional light effect was going to be playing out between the two facing inboards, along with other fx showing a warp shockwave/bubble around the whole vessel.

The TOS fx guys wouldn't dream of making it blue, because that would foul up the blue screen process.

In the original fx, un-remastered, there's a shot of the Enterprise leaving orbit where the starboard nacelle has a jagged, wavering transparent section. That happened because white stage lights were hitting the blue backdrop and sending blue "spill light" onto the shiny metal nacelle.

It was a simple accident the ruined the shot, and the fact that they used it anyway says something about the time and money constraints they were under. I think it showed up as stock footage in at least two episodes.

Blue spill doesn't necessarily work the way you're describing it, but you are correct that they're never have used blue on any part of the model when shooting bluescreen elements. The could get away with it later once motion control photography came in because then you could shoot the matte pass on bluescreen and then shoot the model with the internal lighting on as a separate pass.

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"There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.
—Will Rogers

Well, something went wrong with the nacelle vs blue backdrop. The "leaving orbit" sequence I was talking about is on this page

Zap, I'm pretty sure a lot of it has to do with the fact that in SD and even b/w it wasn't apparent. I don't know how they were checking the footage, but it couldn't have been on a wall projector. I never say all the blue screen errors on the E until I saw the HD footage.

No, the blue screen errors were visible in first run, because I think I know which shot Zap is talking about without even checking the photo. I started reading about blue screen in the 1960s (even ordering a professional trade book), because I couldn't figure out how they got the Enterprise in space. I knew it wasn't on wires, I knew it wasn't a cartoon or stop-motion animation, but I didn't know anything about blue screen or optical printing in those days. Now we can do it in 5 seconds on home computers.

Things we now take for granted were closely guarded secrets back then.

I'd like to use both blue and white on the nacelle trenches. Use blue for idle and low power. Then fade out the blue and fade in the white as the warp power increases. The same with the impulse engines. Use red for low power and fade out with yellow fading in as power increases. Use full yellow for full impulse.

More like everybody said so. Geez, when I was a kid and TOMORROW IS YESTERDAY was rerunning, we'd be flinching, thinking of the leaving orbit /engine eaten by bad matte and the shake round sun followup. It looks bad on a 13" b&w set.